Hanging out with friends
by GamblingDementor
Summary: 30 day OTP challenge: Day nine, your OTP hanging out with friends. Kuvira's been defeated and Varrick visits Suyin in Zaofu.


Travelling by train still felt immersely uncomfortable for Varrick. He remembered all too well his last train ride: he had blown the whole thing up. And the time before that... Well, he'd had Zhu Li all over him, he had panicked and ruined the moment - not for the last time. It had all been the beginning of his internal mental struggle between good and evil, too, though that had ended up like a good thing in the end. Still, he wasn't too fond of railway nowadays. Talk about a problem for the head of a global shipping company! He had literally designed these trains and the rails they drove on.

Sadly, it was the fastest way available to him to reach Zaofu. He was travelling with Zhu Li to go see Su, who had regained control over her city. They were supposed to be joined by Bolin and Opal, who were travelling by sky bison. Varrick would _never_ travel on a huge flying beast and Opal had made it quite clear that she wanted only Bolin to come with her anyway. So there he was, right in front of Zhu Li, about to arrive in Zaofu.

They had not said much at all ever since they had embarked. Zhu Li had read for the most part, he had watched her read, she had caught him watching and smiled and not much else had happened. Ever since she had returned, Zhu Li seemed to be the only thing on Varrick's mind. Granted, so was Kuvira, but really, who could blame him for thinking about the woman who could kill them all? And that was the past anyway. Kuvira had been brought down. Now Zhu Li was the absolute number one thought on his mind at all times.

It helped that they had spent virtually all their time together. He had saved her life that day Kuvira attacked. She had kissed him then, with no explanation whatsoever. Varrick was already feeling quite confused before that, but ever since it had happened, he simply had no idea what was going on between them. They had not kissed since, but Zhu Li had been by his side, smiling as often as not. They had had a few gestures of tenderness too, a goodnight kiss on the cheek, brief arm holding from time to time, she had even taken his hand in hers that one day, during the coronation of King Wu, she had interlaced their fingers, but no word had been spoken about it.

He had tried to be kind to her too, he really had. He had not even attempted ordering her around or anything like that even once. Wasn't it what she'd asked? Being treated like an equal? He knew, deep down, that they would need to have a true conversation about it all at some point. It scared him a little, but at the same time, he had never felt more alive than when she'd kissed him, and he could probably not push his feelings down any longer. It had only been a few days since the battle but it felt like forever and doubt was starting to cribble his mind.

The timely whistle of the train inspector startled him out of his confused thouggts.  
>"Zaofu, end destination. Please, mind the gap between the train and the platform and do not leave any personal belonging behind."<p>

She looked up from her book after marking her page, and nodded at him. They stepped out of the train and were immediately met by a platypus-bear hug from Bolin, who had been waiting on the platform.

"You guys made it! Opal and I arrived this morning, she's with Su right now. Come!"

Zaofu certainly looked different without the domes. They still hadn't been put back together and into place. The whole place seemed bare now, devoid of its most symbolic element. Even some houses had been ripped of their roof in Kuvira's need for metal and were being rebuilt. Su's house was not one of them, but still, it showed that Zaofu had been ripped from an identity. The colossus had left its mark.

"Varrick, I'm happy to see you," the matriarch greeted them.

Varrick looked around him, only noticing right now that Zhu Li had left his side at some point and that he was alone with Su. He spotted her further down the stairs, near the meteorites with Bolin and Opal. They were talking and she was smiling. How she had changed since he had hired her. There was a time she could go a full day without uttering a single word. She was still not the most talkative of women but she could engage in conversations with others around her, have her own role.

"Well, Su, it's the least I can do."

"What do you mean?"

"I really must have offended you when I left with Kuvira. You were my host for so long, and most of all, you're my friend. Kind of betrayed you."

"Bolin told me the exact same thing when we met up."

"Well, what do you think?"

"I think Kuvira duped many people. Her soldiers and staff weren't expecting her to go to such lengths for her empire."

"Exactly! I only joined up with her because I thought I could make some serious money, I never signed up for all the crazy stuff!"

She laughed.

"At least you have the honesty to say that so."

It felt good to be able to apologize. Varrick used to think he could never do it. He used to think he was never wrong. But he'd done wrong things, very wrong things, and he was owning them up now. Maybe that was what he'd been supposed to do all along.

Zhu Li, Bolin and his girl walked inside a few moments later. Opal hugged her mother and sat next to her. Bolin tapped Varrick's shoulder as Zhu Li sat on the couch too.

"Hey, Varrick, do you have a minute?"

"Well, I'm reuniting with my old pal Su, here, kid!"

"Oh, don't let me stand in the way, by all means, go ahead and chat with Bolin."

She waved her hand in the air, gesturing them away.

Bolin took him to the garden outside and made him sit on the bench.

"Remember when I first got to know Opal, three years ago?"

"Erm, yeah?"

Varrick wasn't too sure where this could be going.

"You offered to give me relationship advice."

"Ha, and you never took up on the offer! It's not too late, kid."

"No, actually, I think you need some relationship advice right now."

Varrick chuckled until he realized Bolin wasn't joking.

"Oh, come on, Bolin, you can't be serious. I'm not even in a relationship."

Bolin sighed and sat next to him.

"You would be if you just talked to her, though. I've asked her and she told me nothing happened since that kiss. Seriously, Varrick? Really?"

"Hey, it's complicated, you know!"

"It's really not! She kissed you, what do you think that meant?"

"I don't know!"

"She likes you, Varrick! She loves you, even, and she wants you to acknowledge that and be honest with her!"

"Why can't she just talk to me herself?"

Bolin slapped his forehead.

"Hey, don't do that!"

"Remember the last time she talked to you about it? You totally ignored her feelings! She told me she's afraid of trying again."

"I had other things to think about, kid! There was the huge colossus trying to blow us all up!"

"You don't have that excuse anymore."

Why did Bolin have to be the voice of his conscience? As fond as he was of Bolin, he could really have done without a reminder of his own failure at dealing with feelings right now.

"You're right."

"I know! Because I actually talked to Zhu Li to ask her what she felt about it all. I had suspicions that this was what was happening when I saw you weren't holding hands or anything, and it totally was!"

"Fine, I'm going to talk to her right now, then!"

"Go!"

Varrick stood up and walked briskly to Su's house. Only when he arrived did he realize how easily Bolin had convinced him. Had he lost his Varrick touch? _He_ was usually the one manipulating people.

As soon as his eyes met Zhu Li's, he stopped caring at Bolin's possible manipulative skills. How beautiful she was, even more when she gave him a hopeful smile.

"Zhu Li, I would like to speak with you."

Opal whispered something in her mother's ear and was met by a knowing smile.

"I would love to," Zhu Li answered, a little hastier than usual.

She stood up and was replaced by Bolin. They hadn't even left the room when the remaining ones starting whispering, most certainly gossiping. _They want something to gossip about? I'll give them something._ He took Zhu Li's hand in his own and while she certainly didn't look like she expected it, she accepted the gesture and squeezed his hand in return.

As much as Varrick was afraid of just about everything in this situation (Zhu Li's rejection, his own inability to express what he felt, his feelings consuming him, being overheard and mocked, insulting her accidentally…), he felt strong. He _would _do it this time. And he wouldn't back out of it. After all, he had already apologized to one person today. If Suyin could forgive him, so could Zhu Li! It was with a lighter heart that he began his confession and Zhu Li's smile helped him through it all. He told her everything, from his anxiety about commitment to his love for her and how much he'd missed her, and she kissed him and told him she had forgiven him already. They remained in the garden a lot longer than he expected, talking heart to heart, but it was all worth it. Kuvira's colossus might have been able to destroy anything barring its path, but Varrick's love for Zhu Li was strong enough to move mountains. And judging by her kisses after everything was said, so was hers.


End file.
